As a teenager, Khanyisa Pinda, was told he had six weeks to live because he had dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) – an enlarged heart. But now, he is a medical doctor who has been working on the front line during the pandemic

Dr Pinda was a first-year medical student when he was diagnosed with DCM, a condition in which the heart’s ability to pump blood is decreased because the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle, is enlarged and weakened. In some cases, it prevents the heart from relaxing and filling with blood as it should.

In 2017, doctors put Pinda’s name on an urgent transplant waiting list after his condition deteriorated so much that his heart was left with only 10% functionality. With the help of medication and frequent check-ups, Pinda’s condition has since improved, allowing him to graduate and work as a doctor at New Somerset Hospital in Cape Town.

At present, his heart functionality is 26% and he has been delisted on the donor list.

Follow this phenomenal queer on social media on the following handles:

Twitter: @khanyisa_pinda

Instagram: khanyisa_pinda